Fiat 500: Cute, tiny economy car looks expensive

This one screams cool and the design is delightful from top to bottom, though the 500 is a wee car and that means compromises. You will like this car if: you want sweet city car that screams out your desire to be a little different, a little fun – and you’re willing to pay for it.

Looks Rating

9

Looks

Small can be sexy and fun and the 500 is rolling proof. The proportions are tight and tidy, the paint bold and the wheels, stylish.

Interior Rating

7.5

Interior

The 500 loses points for its uncomfortable seats. Nonetheless, the design is delicious. Just don’t plan to carry around four adults, or even two big ones.

Ride Rating

6.5

Ride

Smallish wheels, a firm suspension and the short wheelbase make for a ride quality we’d call jittery. Nimble in traffic, but only as long as you keep the turbo motor revving.

Safety Rating

9

Safety

An IIHS Top Safety Pick.

Green Rating

7

Green

Good fuel economy, but that should be a given in a small car with a small engine that uses premium gas.

The world's car companies should never make us suffer another ugly car. No more Pontiac Azteks, AMC Pacers or Hyundai Ponies. Even nicely designed runabouts with bargain-basement prices should always be at least cute.

Look no further than the Fiat 500 for proof. This design isn't for everyone, but then, some would argue that People magazine's most beautiful woman, Gwyneth Paltrow, is a little scrawny and others say Amanda Seyfried's eyes are too big and she's too short.

I prefer to toss aside such foolishness. Intelligent, pop culture observers all agree that Gwyneth and Amanda are lovely, just as we can all share the notion that Fiat has put some energy and style into its little 500 two-door. True, the 500 is the same size as a good subwoofer, but the car is also well proportioned, balanced and tidy.

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And then we have the details. The 500 Sport turbo I just drove came in a rich red colour that was highlighted by silver aluminum wheels. At 16 inches, the wheels are just bigger than a Frisbee, though handsome, and large enough to do the job functionally and visually.

The cabin is a lesson for every car company in how to make an affordable car look expensive. Take the dual instrument cluster, the one with the outside ring indicating the speed, an inner one showing the engine speed. It delivers all the right information and, along with the red readouts in the centre, is a packaging tour de force.

Or the wide strip of bright red plastic running the length of the dashboard. This is just a hunk of plastic, one 3.5 inches wide. How much could that cost? But it looks delicious, set off by the number "500" in chrome to the far right, in front of the passenger. Simple and expressive.

The top of the dash, meanwhile, is made of a nicely grained plastic material, not leather or wood or carbon fibre. The switchgear in the centre for the radio, power windows and so on, all look modern, like they were done by a moonlighting Blackberry designer who knows touchpads and does them for those who loath touchscreens.

All this smart design and an affordable price tag. Pay attention here; I'm not talking about the $20,995 on the sticker. You see, like almost every other car brand, Fiat is in the discounting game. I spotted $3,500 in discounts you can bargain for.

Be warned, however; the profit margin on a 500 is as thin as the bucket seats in the car. (Which I must say are not the most comfortable seats on which I have rested my derriere – and what about a little back support, Fiat!) The point I'd make is that dealers will bargain hard to retain as much of the factory incentives as possible. They're not giving away 500s, folks. Then again, even premium brands like Lexus are discounting in this market; expect some price-cutting from Fiat, too, if you're serious.

Discounts aside, the 500 is not really a highway car. The cabin is a tight fit up front for two decent-sized adults. The back seat is smaller than a hockey bag. The 500 is not an everyday four-passenger car, unless they're all built like Audrey Hepburn.

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Small as it is, the 500 is a Top Safety Pick by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety – along with other minicars such as the Ford Fiesta, Toyota Prius c hybrid, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris. All have done well in the range of crash tests – front, front overlap, side impact and roof crush. Small cars aren't necessarily wimps.

You're certainly not paying for horsepower. The four-banger under the hood is turbocharged and, at 135 hp, is adequately powerful for darting through traffic, as long as you keep the engine revs up (there is a use for that tachometer, you know). It's no monster motor, though. The standard five-speed manual gearbox – mine came trimmed with a leather shift knob marked by bold stitching – is smooth and precise and I worked it a lot to keep up with city traffic. Fuel economy is officially rated at 7.1 litres/100 km in the city and 5.7 on the highway, using premium fuel.

Keep the highway cruising to a minimum, though. The 500 has a short wheelbase and smallish tires and the suspension is pretty firm, too. That makes the car nimble in the city and jumpy/jittery at higher speeds.

No matter how fast you're going, though, this one is a swishy little gem.

In 25 years of covering the auto industry, Jeremy Cato has won more than two-dozen awards, including three times being named automotive journalist of the year. Jeremy was born in Montreal and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. More

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